Mum's 'magic' stain removal hack effortlessly removes yellow marks on white T-shirts
A Mumsnet user revealed a little-known laundry hack for removing yellow stains.
On the Mumsnet forum, the mum posted: "Today I took out of the washing machine a white T-shirt [that] still [had] some light yellow stains."
The stain was the result of her child spitting out antibiotic medication, but instead of putting the T-shirt back into the laundry to-do pile, the mum did something different.
"I normally would put it back on the pile of things to wash, with a mental note to spray it with some stains removal before the next load," the mum noted.
But the mum had heard that placing a stain to rest in the sun could make stains disappear. "I remembered [that] and put it out to dry in the sun," the mum stated. "It's magic. The stain has completely gone!"
The mum said she will leave stained clothes out in the sun "more often now" that she's seen it works. "I am approaching 50 and [had] never known!"
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The comments are filled with people agreeing. "Best way to get rid of stains," said one user; another claimed that the sun will bleach greying whites. Other stains lifted by sunlight include tomato stains and baby poo.
Yet, fabric expert Shadmaan Kader – owner of Pound a Metre – shared his professional viewpoint on using sunlight to remove stains.
"Sunlight is an effective stain remover because the UV light emitted by the sun breaks down the molecules bonding the stain to the fabric," said Kader.
Don't miss...
Towels will become soft and fluffy after only one wash using 3 cupboard staples [LATEST]
The three-ingredient miracle mixture only costs 11p and removes tough stains [TIPS]
‘I’m an appliance expert - these habits could be destroying your appliances’ [EXPERT]
"This is also the reason why sunlight works as a disinfectant and can destroy harmful bacteria on clothes as well."
Kader cautioned: "However, the sun's rays are so powerful that they can actually break down the fibres of your clothes over time, making fabrics more brittle and more prone to tearing."
When using natural sunlight to remove stains from fabric, Kader pointed out a few things to consider.
Firstly, the sunlight stain removal hack works best on cotton and linen, as they are stronger materials that can withstand the sun's powerful rays.
Stained silk or wool, on the other hand, should be seen by a professional dry cleaner to extend the durability of the material.
"UV rays also break down the molecules of dye, meaning that too long in the sun for coloured fabrics can make them look light and washed out," added Kader.
"Sunlight is the perfect stain remover for white fabrics but you should always dry coloured clothes in the shade or reverse them before you hang them out."
When it comes to removing stains from light-coloured cotton or linen garments, "a couple of hours" in the sun will be enough time to remove tough stains.
